Causes of Infant Sleep Apnea

Adults with sleep apnea can make quite comical noises, but it's no laughing matter when an infant gets sleep apnea. During sleep, the airways of the sleeping infant are momentarily cut off, so the sleeping infant gives off a choking sound. Although adults with sleep apnea can survive for years or decades with the condition, a baby with sleep apnea should be a cause for alarm.

Symptoms

Various symptoms have been reported for infants with sleep apnea. The usual is a snoring with is suddenly cut off with a choking or gasping noise. The baby's face may also begin to change color, especially if the airway has been blocked for more than 20 seconds.

An infant with sleep apnea cannot get a good night's sleep or a decent nap because they constantly wake up when their airways are blocked. They then move around in order to get a more comfortable position. However, in order to avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (or SIDS) babies need to sleep on their backs.

Blockage

One cause for sleep apnea in infants is that something is blocking their airway in the throat or soft palate. This could be a birth defect, overgrown tonsils or a strange tissue growth. But it also could also be a secondary symptom of being born with a condition such as Down's Syndrome. This type of sleep apnea is called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

It's also been theorizes that extremely obese babies will experience OSA because their flesh is pressing down on their throats during the extreme relaxation of throat and jaw muscles in deep sleep. This is common in adults, but babies usually don't get the chance to but on the massive weight gain that adults can. However, there are always exceptions, but these would be very rare, indeed.

Central Sleep Apnea

This type of sleep apnea is seen in babies more often than OSA and it is rarely seen in adults. Central sleep apnea happens to premature babies as well as babies under one year of age. Slightly older children with severe problems like heart disease or other diseases caused by genes. The problem is thought to be from a malfunctioning central nervous system which is telling the breathing muscles to shut off rather than just slow down in deep sleep.

Other Causes

There is also a type of sleep apnea in infants called mixed sleep apnea, where muscles and the central nervous system are thought to be at fault. Sometimes infants or even older children with mixed sleep apnea may experience a shut off of breath while awake.

Some medications that make an infant very drowsy may also initiate sleep apnea. Carbon monoxide poisoning may also produce sleep apnea because of the sudden lack of oxygen. Food or stomach acid coming back up the esophagus may also trigger sleep apnea in infants.

References

1. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. "Primary Sleep Apnea of Infancy." August 31, 2007. http://yoursleep.aasmnet.org/disorder.aspx?id=70
2. The Dallas Center for Sleep Disorders. "Pediatric Sleep Apnea." http://www.dallas-sleep.com/pediatric-sleep-apnea.php
3. MedicineNet.com. "What is Central Sleep Apnea and What Causes It?" http://www.medicinenet.com/sleep_apnea/page2.htm

Image from Wikimedia Commons.